What comes to mind when you think of the word boot camp? Military style training? Rigor? What about fun? All these elements would describe the 4-H Health and Fitness Boot Camp. The camp was conducted by the Scotland County Cooperative Extension

4-H Youth Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program. The 7-week boot camp provided lessons on nutrition, fitness and the importance of proper hand washing. Over 100 youth attended the sessions at Laurel Hill Community Center.

Participants were also involved in exercise and physical fitness activities such as Taebo For Kids, kickboxing, and walking. All participants received frisbees, water bottles, pencils and MyPyramid book markers. Upon completion of the classes, youth improved their diets through healthier food choices and increased their daily physical activities.

The camp also provided hands-on experience with preparing healthy snacks, which included: MyPyramid pizza, trail mix, fruit smoothies, pizza wraps, fruit salad, veggie trays, and much more.

A $500 donation from Farm Bureau sponsored the 4-H Health and Fitness Boot Camp.